The present invention relates to an improved seating system, and more particularly to an improved system for automotive vehicle seating.
There is an ever-growing need for improved seating systems in automotive vehicles. The surge in popularity of hatchbacks, sport utility vehicles and minivans, has posed unique design challenges, in view of the need for seating to be adjustable and in many instances to restrain cargo carried toward the rear of the vehicle. In light of the increased consumer usage of these vehicles for stowage and transport of cargo along with passengers (particularly passengers in rear seats), manufacturers have turned their attention to improving the ability of the seating systems to withstand large loads.
One approach has been to develop improved systems for transmitting loads to the seat tracks of vehicle seating assemblies. A growing number of applications, however, employ attachment of seating components directly to the vehicle body in white for load distribution to the body in white. For the improved seat track technology to be viable in the latter applications, it would require substantial modification, which is believed would unduly complicate the manufacturing procedures, require the development of expensive new processing techniques, or add substantial weight to the vehicles. Accordingly, there is a need for an improved, readily manufactured seating system that is capable of meeting vehicle manufacturer design criteria and government standards for vehicles, and which can be efficiently and conveniently adapted for use in a variety of applications including those involving seat track load distribution, body in white load distribution or both.
The needs in the art are met by the automotive vehicle seating system of the present invention, which includes a molded plastic seat back having a first wall portion, an opposing second wall portion and one or more reinforcement structures disposed therebetween. An assembly is provided for receiving the seat. Advantageously, the seating system upon rapid acceleration up to about 20 to about 30 g, no fragmentation of the seat back with at least a 36 kg mass placed behind the seat back. The system is easy to manufacture and will not add substantial weight to the vehicle as compared with other commercial seating systems.